FARMERS' REGISTER— OXEN— TO TOBACCO GROWERS, &c. 



603 



from riding violently, which they do without hesi- 

 lationover tFie roug-hest ground. Altliough never 

 a very tiuiorous rider, I have frequently felt sonte- 

 what uneasy at the style in which tliey carried me 

 ever a country which the boldest rider in England 

 would hesitate to follow. In going down a declivity 

 not less, periiaps, th.in forty-five degrees, where 

 stones as large as a table were scsittered about in 

 all directions, f was proceeding with some caution 

 to guide my horse over tiie difficulties of tlie 

 ground, whan an Arab called out tome, and I was 

 induced ever afterwards to follow the advice, — 

 " Give him his head, he sees the stones as well as 

 you do." 



Every body has seen the Turkisii bridle ; they 

 never use a curb, but the ring which is put into 

 the mouth serves the same purpose ; the bit, which 

 is very light, acting so powerfully, by means of 

 the lever attached to it, as to force the mouth open 

 and keep it so : neither do tJiej' ever use the snaliie, 

 or bridoon ; I tried it in the hope of its easing the 

 mouth, but to horse and rider it proved equally in- 

 convenient. Altiiough they use such powerful 

 bridles, the Arabs ride with a heavy hand, so as to 

 sustain the horse in advancing, and to curb him in 

 action. This they are able to do very effectually, 

 and in throwing the jei'eed it is absolutely neces- 

 sary. Perhaps the most remarkable point about 

 the Arabian horse is the extraordinary smallness 

 of the head and mouJh, — so small, indeed is the 

 latter that you would think they might usea com- 

 mon tumbler for a water bucket. 



The stirrup used by the Arab" is singularly 

 short, but the seat of the rider is not on that ac- 

 count the less secure, and it enables him, in rising 

 on his stirrup to throw the jereed, or to strike a 

 blow, to do it with an infinitely increased effect. 

 The sudden jerk which is often given in these ex- 

 ercises to the stirrup-leather, makes it necessary 

 to secure it much more firmly than we do. Tlws 

 is done by ten or twelve straps or thongs, and the 

 stirrup, in place of being a narrow bar, is so con- 

 structed as to allow the whole foot to rest on a 

 plate of iron reaching from the toe to some dis- 

 tance behind the heel, where it is sharpened so as 

 to serve the purposes of a spur. 



I'aAIXIXG OXEX TO RACK. 



From the Maine Farmer. 



Mr. Ifolm-es : I have observed that very little, 

 if any attention is paid by our farmers to learn 

 their steers to back ; but as they become able to 

 draw a considerable load forward, they are often 

 unmercifully beaten on the head and face, because 

 thev will not back a cart or sled, with as large a 

 load on as they can di-av/ forward, forgetting that 

 much pains have been taken to learn them to draw 

 well forward, and none to learn them 1o push back- 

 ward. To remedy the occasion of this thumping, 

 and the delay which is alwaysdisagreeable, as soon 

 as I have learned my steers to be handy, as it is 

 called, and to draw forward,! place them on a cart 

 where the land is descending in a small degree. In 

 this situation they will soon learn Vvith case to back 

 it; then I place them on level land and exercise 

 them there; then I learn them to back the cart up 

 land a little rising — tiie cart having no load in it thus 

 far. When I have learned them to stand up to the 

 tongue as they ought, and back an empty cart , I next 

 either put a small v, eight in the cart^ or take them 



where the land rises faster, which answers the 

 same purpose. Thus in a few days they can be 

 learned to back well, and know how to doit, which 

 by a little use afterwards they will never forget. 

 This may appear of little consequence to some, but 

 when it is remembered how frequently we want to 

 liack a load when we are at work with our cattle, 

 and how commodious it is often to have our cattle 

 back well, why should we not learn ihem, for the 

 time when we want them, thus to lay out their 

 strength. Besides it saves the blows and vexation 

 often encountered, which is considerable when one 

 is in haste. It is a merciful course towards our 

 l-Tutes. I never consider a pair of oxen well broke 

 until thoy will back with ease any reasonable load, 

 and 1 would give a considerable sura more for a 

 yoke of oxen thus tutored, than lor a yoke not 

 thus trained. a tea3ister. 



CAXAt, COATS. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 Canal Ixwts constructed upon the new princi- 

 ples to which wc lately made reference, are in ope- 

 ration in England as well as in Scotland. We 

 have been shown a letter from Lancashire, Eng- 

 land, vvhich states, that boats now ply upon their 

 canals, at the rate of ten and twelve miles per hour, 

 drawn by horses, which are relieved by a fresh 

 team at the end of every five miles. The boats 

 are sixty feet long, and five feet wide; built of 

 sheet iron, covered with a canvass awning, carry- 

 ing one hundred passengers, and draw only two 

 feet water. We may soon expect to see this im- 

 provement adopted in boats upon our canals. It 

 will reduce the time of a passage from Albany to 

 Buffalo to thirty-six or forty hours; and most ul- 

 timately affect the value of rail road stocks, upon 

 routes parallel with canals. b> 



A FEW IIIXTS TO TOBACCO GROV.EP.S. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Eegiitcr. 



Mecklenburg, Va. Jan. llth, 1834. 



1 much lament, Mr. Editor, that the subjects 

 proper for discussion in such a paper as the Far- 

 mers' Register, should elicit so little of the talents 

 and attention of this part of the state. That such 

 should be the case, is a circumstance wholly 

 unaccountable. That a good degree of interest 

 exists here, on the subject of agriculture general- 

 ly and the best means of advancing its products, 

 will be readily admitted by all. That there ex- 

 ists no indisposition to a public display of our ta- 

 lents, is manifest from our numerous political 

 meetings, and the many lengthy harangues to 

 which they afford an occasion. That some of our 

 aspiring politicians have occasionally found their 

 way into the political papers of the day, reviling 

 #*»*** * *in the most profitless 

 manner, is a fact within my own knowledge. 

 W'hy then is the beautiful and all interesting sub- 

 ject of agriculture so wholly f<)rgotten and ne- 

 glected .' I am fain to believe, Mr. Editor, it is be- 

 cause an essay containing a collection of useful 

 agricultural facts and experiments, Avill not ad- 

 vance the writer to a seat in our General Assem- 

 bly, or in Congress. Being myself no political 

 aspirant, but a plain planting man, who loves to 

 .speed the plough, and al! the other operations of 



